Reaching Grace
by IlluminatedShadow
Summary: A god, one seer, a mercernary, and a dishonored guard. All cast out and feared. But when the land falls into darkness, they are the country's only hope. Yaoi, yuri, and het pairings. Chapter 2 has been posted
1. The Exiled Trickster God

Yes, I have posted a new story. This is just the beginning and if people are interested, I'll continue posting it.

Yes, this is AU and yes some of the Naruto characters are gods and goddesses.

Summary: He was banished from The Holy Temple of the Gods and forced to hide his immortality to live among the mortals. But, in the world's darkest hour, He and his group will be the only ones who can protect the country.

Warnings: Some bad language and a slightly sexual situation. The rating will be upped later. OOCness.

Pairings: One is hinted in this chapter and more hints will come. The true pairings will be revealed later, until then, everyone is hitting on everyone else and their sister. Final pairings could include yaoi, yuri, and het.

Spoilers: None really.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own the priestesses-in-training.

Enjoy!

"speech"

'thoughts'

* * *

The storm outside raged. Lightening flashed and thunder shook the walls of the temple. Rain pelted the arched windows as wind rattled the trees on the sacred grounds.

"We have not had a storm like this in a while." A pink-haired priestess whispered to her fellow priestess as the two walked the dimly lit hallways of the temple. Their sandals hardly made a noise on the marble floor. "Perhaps it is an omen from the mother goddess. Something evil may be afoot."

"Or maybe her husband was spying on beautiful virgins again." Her companion muttered. She was taller than the other, and her black hair was cropped short.

"You're probably right, Shizune." Sakura whispered to the elder as they entered the room. Several young girls who were training to become future priestesses of the mother goddess sat around the eldest of the group.

Sakura and Shizune quietly watched as the oldest priestess-in-training began to speak.

"Tonight I will tell a story about any god or goddesss you wish. What are some requests?" The slightly pudgy brunette asked, her brown eyes searching the group of little girls.

"Ooh! Tell us about Ino, the Earth Goddess!"

"No! What about the goddess of dreams, Kurenai!"

"Let's hear about the god of wild beasts, Kiba!"

"I'd like to hear about Naruto."

The chattering of the girls quieted down, as they all turned to look at a small blonde girl sitting in the back. Blue eyes peeked out from under long bangs and faint scars lined her cheeks. She smiled in expectation, not squirming under the inquiring gazes of the other girls.

"Why do you want to hear about him? He's just the trickster god. No one likes him. He doesn't even have a temple. He's the forsaken god!" A dark-haired child spoke up in disgust.

Sakura studied the blonde girl whose smile didn't waver and then stepped forward. "He may have been forsaken by mortals and many of the gods, but Naruto is still a god who posseses great power. You should be more respectful of him, Yumi, even if you dislike him."

Shizune nodded to the storyteller. "Please, tell the story of Naruto, Mai."

The plump girl nodded and began. "Before we were all born, there were two great beings. Arashi, the war god, and Kyuubi, the goddess of destruction. War and destruction go hand in hand and soon Arashi and Kyuubi began to spend more time together. But Arashi had a wife, the goddess of beauty. The two had a child, Naruto. Unfortunately, Kyuubi had fallen in love with Arashi and hated that Naruto was not hers." She paused. "You know immortals can only be killed by other immortals, correct? Well, Kyuubi's hatred was so great that she murdered the weakened goddess of beauty, hoping Arashi would love her instead. Arashi, enraged by his beautiful wife's death, lashed out at Kyuubi and the two fought."

"Their battle was grand. It encompassed the entire Fire Country and destroyed many villages. So many died, but the two continued to fight. Soon, one of Arashi's priests prayed to the god to stop the fighting. Arashi, despite being the god of war cared for his followers, soon became tired of the fighting. He was getting weak, but Kyuubi fed off the destruction they caused. Pulling the last of his energy, he transferred Kyuubi into Naruto because no mortal would have been strong enough. Then, he also transferred himself into his son. It is believed he is the gate protecting Naruto from Kyuubi's anger."

The little girls had sat entranced through the entire story. They had heard their parents curse at the trickster god because of the pranks he played on innocent people, now they realized why even the people who weren't affected by him hated Naruto.

"Because he holds the two most powerful gods inside of him who wreaked havoc across the land, many hate him. His fellow gods and goddesses fear him and ostrasized him. No one will worship him. The only ones who care about him are Tsunade, the mother goddess, and Jiraiya the god of wine."

"Well told, Mai." Shizune said. "Now, the rest of you off to bed."

As the rest of the girls filed out, Sakura grabbed the shoulder of the petite blonde. When only those two remained, she spoke. "You must stop sneaking into temples by shape-shifting. The mother goddess will be angry if you continue."

The blonde girl scowled and slowly transformed into a spiky-haired blond boy. "Yeah, I know. But, I was bored."

"Honestly, Naruto, that's not a good enough excuse. Please don't make it a habit to come everyday. You know you are loathed in these parts."

"Sheesh, you play one prank during a lord's meeting and it's held against you forever."

"Lord Touya blamed Lord Kazuma. You started a war between the two villages!" She snapped. "I still can't believe you didn't get some kind of punishment…"

Naruto fidgeted. "Actually, that's why I'm here. Uh, the rest of the gods are meeting in the Temple. They're discussing my punishment, so the old hag sent me out."

Sakura was about to reply, when her emerald green eyes became focused on a point beyond Naruto.

"Sakura-"

"The mother goddess is calling you back now." Sakura said as the vision ended. She smiled at the shorter boy as he disappeared in a swirl of pale red smoke.

"Until we meet again, Naruto." Her maroon robes swished around her feet as she too left the room.

**Miles Away, in the Holy Temple **

"So, what's my punishment, hag?" Naruto announced his arrival with a pop.

The age-old goddess turned to him. Her white robes were draped around her body and her honey brown eyes looked sorrowful. "I'm sorry Naruto. I did all I could to convince them not lock you in the deepest pits of hell, as Orochimaru was…"

Naruto looked uncomfortable, biting his lip he waited for her to continue.

"You are no longer allowed in the Holy Temple. You are hereby banished from this holy landto live among the mortals, andforever hideyour immortality."

"You're banishing me! To live among mortals?"

"You accidently started a war claiming innocent lives. Your actions made mortals suffer."

"Ino sends carnivorous plants after those who do not offer adequate sacrifices and Chouji once poisoned an entire kingdom's food supply because one thief ransacked his temple. I'm not the only one who has hurt mortals! I know the gods just want me to leave because I host the Goddess of Destruction and the God of War, and if they want me gone so badly, I will leave!" Naruto snarled, fangs and whiskers prominent. He quickly turned and stalked out of the room. 'Thanks a lot Kyuubi and Father. Thanks for making me the most hated immortal in the lands.'

"Oi,loser."

"What bastard?" Naruto gritted out as he was stopped by the god of vengeance. Sasuke smirked and stepped closer to Naruto, cupping his scarred cheek with his hand. "Get your hands off of me."

"Don't leave right away." His usually cold, black eyes held some warmth as he pushed closer to Naruto. "Spend the night with me." He murmured into Naruto's ear, leaning forward to kiss his tanned neck.

Naruto pushed Sasuke off, his blue eyes glinting dangerously. "No, I will leave now.And if you need someone to warm your bed, I'm sure Ino would be more than happy to." As Naruto began to disappear in a swirl of pale red smoke, Sasuke spoke, his voice betraying none of the anger he felt at Naruto's rejection.

"Stay out of trouble, Naruto." Turning, he briskly began to walk back to his chambers.

He had a lot of planning to do.

* * *

What could Sasuke be planning? And is SasuNaru a possible pairing? (some readers: No! Sasuke is a bastard! Naruto should be with -insert name-) 

If you know Greek mythology, you know that everyone was hitting on/doing it with everyone else and their mom, so that kinda explains the multiple pairings. No pairing is final yet.

This was just the beginning. If people like it, the 2nd chapter will be up eventually. Please don't get mad if its not tomorrow or the day after, I'm doing my best.

Read & Review, please.


	2. The Bitter Seer

Well, hello everyone! Long time no see, eh?

Well, I'm back. It's Spring Break (hells yeah!) and I'm ready to do some updating. Now I wasn't planning on updating this story, but then I read the reviews and I realized "Hey, there are a handful of people who liked this story. And I like this story, too!" So, here's a nice long Chapter 2 for your reading pleasure.

Anyways, just scroll down if you don't care about this author's note. But, I would just like to say that I really like this story and I found it easier to write than Hell Hath No Fury. I've always loved Greek/Roman/Norse/-insert other culture- mythology and so this is the baby born out of that love. It's not amazing, but it is what I like. And really, shouldn't we write about what we like?

But anyways, you can expect more updates in the upcoming days. Man, its good to be back.

Warnings: OOC-ness, language mostly but the rating is M for whatever I missed

"Speech"

_'Thoughts'_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, the battle Naruto would have already dragged Sasuke's ungrateful ass back to Konoha.

And, now, on to the main even!

* * *

The clouds gathered ominously in the sky, and enveloped the bright sun in a coal black blanket and covering the small town in darkness. The birds ceased their sweet singing as the townspeople looked nervously up at the foreboding sky. A flash of sharp white light zigzagged against the black background and was followed by a sharp crack. 

That was all it took for the townspeople to rush into their homes or seek the closest shelter before the rain began to fall.

On the outskirts of town, in the large compound belonging to the oldest and wealthiest clan in the country, two teenagers sat peacefully, watching the rain, in a spacious room normally used for entertaining. The room was large with wooden floors and pale walls to emphasize the vastness of the room. It had large windows on one side, overlooking the grand courtyard. Delicate vases and paintings decorated the room as well as a few tasteful pieces of furniture. The two teenagers sat at a table in the center of the room with a pot of tea, two cups, and a plate of sweet meats between them. Neither spoke, they both simply sat and watched the rain pelting at the glass.

"It would seem the Mother Goddess is in a foul mood today, wouldn't you agree Neji-nisan?" One of the teenagers spoke quietly, reaching for the pot of tea. She was a petite girl with dainty hands and feet. Her violet hair was cut short near her head. She had a soft smile and pale skin, but her most striking feature was her eyes. They were pale lavender and pupil-less. 

The one called Neji was taller with a slender, muscular build. His hair was a chestnut brown color, long and pulled back. A white bandage was tied around his forehead and he too was pale with eyes just as striking as the other's. The only difference between the two pairs of eyes was that the girl's eyes were compassionate and forgiving; his were cold, hard and knowing. Neji had the eyes of a man who had seen too much of everything at too young of an age. 

Neji snorted in reply to his companion. "Who cares if she is in a foul mood or not? The gods are fickle and cruel. They toy with humans with total disregard to the damage they cause. They care nothing about us, why should we care about them, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata sighed and poured tea into both of the cups. "Such talk is blasphemy, what if they overhear you? You insult them so openly, without a care. What if they punish you for your words?" She put the tea pot down violently against the table, rattling the plate and cups. 

Neji scowled and reached for his cup. "They've already cursed me. What else can they do?"

"They can kill you."

"If such is my fate for speaking my mind, then so be it." He said coldly, taking a sip of tea.

"Must you always resign yourself to fate?"

"Why not? Fate always wins."

Hinata sighed. "There is no use warning you, Neji-nisan. You're more stubborn than a mule." She reached for her own tea. "Have you Seen anything of interest today?"

"I have not Seen anything so far this week."

The winds picked up outside as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The rain fell harder as the two fell back into silence, savoring their tea.

"The worst is to come." Neji whispered, staring down into the murky liquid of his cup. He ignored the inquisitive gaze of his cousin and kept silent.

Hinata reached for a sweet meat. "First the war with Lord Kazuma of the Fire Country, and now whatever Neji-nisan is Seeing. Just when I though things were looking up…" She mused, taking a bite of the desert.

"Fate strikes again." Neji muttered. _'That bitch.'_

* * *

Hinata hummed quietly to herself as she made her way out of the Hyuuga compound. Reaching the gate, she looked around for the guards and when she saw no one, she slipped out of the compound. 

It was nearing midnight and the sky was pitch black with no moon or stars shining. Hinata lit the lantern she was holding and made her way to the forest near her home. She pushed through the bushes and vines until she arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest. Putting her lantern down on a large, flat stone, Hinata pulled out her kunai and began to train.

As she started revising the forms Neji taught her earlier that day, she heard twigs snap behind her. Whirling a round, she threw one of her kunai at whoeverwas intrudingon her training.

"Geez Hinata! It's just me!" A boy shouted shrilly after catching the kunai between two fingers. "Wow, your accuracy has really improved." He added in a quieter voice.

Hinata exhaled loudly. _'I will not blush. I will not blush.'_ She thought and then turned to scowl at the grinning blond. "H-honestly Naruto. How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?"

Naruto's grin widened. "20 times."

"And yet you never listen." Hinata said, putting away her weapons. Naruto sat down and stretched out against the damp grass. His orange shirt pulled upward as he stretched, and Hinata's eyes landed on the area of tan, toned stomach that was revealed. A fading, but intricate black design was tattooed on his stomach.

"Like what you see?"

Hinata's head snapped up and her eyes met cheerful blue ones. She blushed and looked away.

Naruto's smile dropped when he saw Hinata turn away. He was only teasing her; he didn't realize she would get upset. "Hey, I'm sorry Hinata. I didn't mean to--"

"N-no, its okay. I shouldn't have stared, but," she bit her lip and hesitated for a moment, "Does it hurt? That seal, I mean."

Naruto looked thoughtful. "Not really. It sometimes glows and heats up, but it never hurts." He folded his arms behind his head and stared up at the canopy of trees above them. Hinata, instead of following Naruto's lead, chose to study the boy instead. His eyes were focused on the canopy, but his faced looked relaxed. The whisker marks on his cheeks were faint against his skin which was pale in the light of the lantern. He wasn't very big, but his presence was overwhelming. 

Hinata thought he was absolutely breath-taking. She blushed again and cursed her pale skin. _'I hope he doesn't notice…'_

"Hey are you okay? Your face is turning red." Naruto sat up and looked at her with concern.

Hinata's eye widened and she stammered, "N-no no! I'm fine, Naruto-kun! D-don't worry!" 

Naruto raised a golden eye brow and shrugged. _'Mortal girls are strange.'_

Hinata willed her blush to go down. "Anyways, Naruto-kun. W-what brings you to Fire Country?"

"Well nothing was happened up there, so I said to myself 'When was the last time I visited my dear friend Hinata?'. And so here I am." He grinned widely.

"Are you in trouble again?"

The grin disappeared and Naruto's shoulder's slumped. "Yeah, but it's nothing big. I've just been banished from the Realm and ordered to live amongst mortals for eternity. No big deal."

"Banished!"

"Yeah well, causing a war was just the justification. I know it's because those bastards can't stand to have me around anymore. I'm the demon god, the cursed immortal, and whatever else they can think of. Fuckers." Naruto grumbled, refusing to look at Hinata who was looking at him with pity.

"But who cares ya know? They're just fickle and bored and jealous. I'm stronger than the lot of them and one day I'll prove it. I'll show them. They'll need me one day, just wait and see." He announced.

"I believe you Naruto-kun. You'll show all of the gods just how much you deserve to reign among them." Hinata said with absolute seriousness. Naruto smiled softly at the lavender-eyed girl and her complete confidence in him.

"Thank you Hinata, for everything." He said sincerely and Hinata flushed with happiness.

"Y-your welcome, Naruto-kun." She whispered.

The two sat in silence smiling at each other until Naruto's head lifted slightly and his shoulders tensed. He sniffed the air and looked off to the right. Narrowing his eyes he called out, "Show yourself, whoever the hell you are."

Hinata stiffened and reached for her kunai. Gripping it, she rose to her knees, ready to attack if need be.

"I'm impressed. Not many are able to detect my presence so easily." 

Hinata turned in the direction of the cold voice. "Neji-nisan!"

Neji stepped out of the bushes, his hard white eyes studying the two other teens. "You should be in bed, Hinata-sama. Tomorrow is the day you meet with the villagers."

Looking away from Neji, Naruto turned to Hinata. "Oh yeah! How's that whole dream interpretation thing going? It's an amazing gift. Kurenai only gives it to the people she believes are the most deserving. It's about damn time someone realizes how special you are." Naruto announced, watching Hinata with excitement.

Hinata flushed again, this time with pride. On her 16th birthday, Kurenai the Goddess of Dreams visited her in her dreams. The beautiful goddess had smiled so sweetly at Hinata and whispered that Hinata would play a vital role soon. And that was the reason Kurenai was bestowing such a rare gift on her. Kurenai had whispered to her _"Remember, your gift will save lives and will be one of the greatest aids when the world goes to hell. Never turn away someone who needs your help because one of them will be the One." _Kurenai had then kissed Hinata's forehead and before parting had given her one final warning.

Beware the snakes.

Hinata did not yet understand what Kurenai had meant, but she avoided snakes like they were the plague. Her father had taken measures to ensure his eldest daughter would remain safe. Every snake that entered the compound was killed on sight.

It was Hinata who suggested aiding people with their dreams. Once the townspeople realized her gift was real, not a sham. They gathered in the compound daily at around noon in order to seek her. After training, she would sit for hours, listening to other's dreams and interpreting them. 

Many mistakenly assumed her gift meant she could predict the future. Unfortunately, she could only interpret and explain dreams; she could only provide warnings and let people make their own decisions. The future was unknown to her.

Only Neji could prophesize what would happen. He could See and his dreams were the only ones Hinata could not interpret. And on nights Neji woke up, terrified by his visions and haunted by nightmares, she could only sit by and offer a comforting presence. She could not explain what he dreamt of, only listen as he shook and narrated what he Saw. 

Pushing away her thoughts, she smiled and assured Naruto that yes, the whole dream interpretation thing was going well.

Neji, feeling out of the loop, angrily cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should go back home, Hinata."

"Who are you? Her keeper? Hinata will go when she feels like it." Naruto snapped. Neji's eyes narrowed and he took a threatening step towards the young god. Hinata knew she had to do something, before the situation got out of hand.

"Naruto, please. Neji-nisan, this is Naruto, a friend of mine. Naruto, this is my elder cousin."

The two boys merely glared at each other. Hinata sighed. "I'm fine, Neji-nisan." She said firmly.

Neji ignored Hinata, instead choosing to study the other boy. He was short and very thin. Sapphire blue eyes glared at him from under thick lashes and dark scratches adorned his cheeks. In the lantern light, the boy looked very pale and seemed to be wearing a hideous orange shirt. Neji grimaced, _'Orange? That's so tacky.'_

Giving Naruto a final glance, Neji turned back to Hinata. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he growled. How dare that fucking pansy dismiss him? He was a god, damn it. He deserved some respect!

"Hey bastard. Do you have any idea who I am?"

"No, and frankly I don't really care."

Hinata held her head in her hands. This wasn't going to end well.

Naruto's scowl deepened and the scars on his cheeks darkened. Red wisps of smoke swirled around him and his canines lengthened. The wind around the trio began to blow faster and howl. Naruto crouched low and was about to launch himself at Neji when—

"Are all gods as flashy as you?"

Naruto fell face first onto the ground and Hinata let go of the breath she was holding. _'Maybe I should have stayed in bed tonight.'_

* * *

"Tsunade." 

Said woman turned around. Her honey-brown eyes were red around the irises and the wrinkles around her eyes betrayed how old she truly was. "You seem sober, Jiraiya."

The god known as Jiraiya laughed loudly, tossing his wild mane of white hair back. He was a large god, with broad shoulders, known for his love of wine and women.

To Tsunade, he was an old friend with a perverted streak seven leagues long.

"Heh, for once yeah. So, how's the brat?"

Tsunade was not surprised that Jiraiya knew she was watching Naruto. She knew Jiraiya would be keeping an eye on him as well. "He's fine, right now. He's with the Hyuuga clan's genius and heiress."

"It's better this way, Tsunade. He can fulfill his destiny rather than rotting in hell with Orochimaru."

Tsunade ignored the way Jiraiya hesitated in saying their former friend's name and instead agreed with his words. "Indeed, this is the best way." Tsunade became silent and turned back to stare into her watching pool. The pool allowed her to watch the mortals in the world below; it allowed her to keep an eye on her people. The water shone silver and presented the image of the three youths. Currently Naruto was yelling at the Hyuuga boy as the girl watched on, ready to stop a fight from breaking out.

"The genius is not fond of us gods."

Jiraiya snorted. "Can you blame him? He's a Seer; they normally hate us."

"It was supposed to be a gift."

"Not everyone is grateful when their gift allows them to see the world's destruction. But his Sight will be helpful. He'll make a good ally in the future."

"Naruto does not think he needs allies."

"Yeah well, that boy was never the brightest star in the sky." Jiraiya shrugged. 

"The girl is quite blessed as well. Kurenai was right to choose her." Tsunade added. "Whether Naruto realizes it or not, he has chosen well. He only needs to ask."

"Must we always be so cryptic? Can't we just come out and say that--" Before Jiraiya could finish his sentence, Tsunade moved swiftly across the room and punched him in the stomach. Jiraiya grunted at the impact and bent down until his was level with Tsunade, who kept her fist in his gut.

"The walls have ears." She whispered before pulling back and going back to her pool. Glancing one last time at the frantically gesturing blond, she smiled sadly and dispelled the image with a flick of her wrist.

Jiraiya straightened and grimaced as he rubbed his stomach. "Ouch." He muttered before glaring at the woman in front of him. "You didn't have to hit me."

Tsunade glared at him, "You didn't have to spy on my priestesses while they were bathing." She snapped as Jiraiya laughed sheepishly.

Outside the room, Sasuke quietly made his way back to his quarters.

* * *

"S-so what brings you out here Neji?" Hinata asked softly after Naruto finished ranting and explaining his situation to Neji. Said blond was currently leaning against a rock, sulking while shredding blades of grass.

"I went to your room to check on you, but your bed was empty. I checked the rest of the house, and when I didn't find you I thought that perhaps you were here. You always hid here when you were younger." Neji replied.

"Did you have a vision?" Hinata asked, noticing how Naruto perked up at the question.

"Are you a Seer? That's so cool!"

Neji ignored him. "I hope it was merely a dream, but it seemed too realistic to be just a nightmare."

"What happened?" Naruto asked seriously, for once.

Neji began to recount his vision in an emotionless voice. "Trees were burning as a huge snake and fox were fighting in the distance. It was as though I was watching the scene with my own eyes. As I watched, I sensed something flying towards me. I turned, and saw a dagger but before I could move or block it, someone flew in front of me, taking the hit." 

Hinata and Naruto's eyes widened as they listened. When Neji fell silent, Naruto spoke:

"Snake huh? The only snake I can think of is Orochimaru. But he's locked in hell. It must've just been a dream."

"You don't sound very convinced." Neji retorted. 

Hinata shivered, "Perhaps we should go back now. Naruto, you're welcome to stay with us."

Naruto smiled at her, "Thanks Hinata," he paused wondering if he should accept her invitation. Seeing Neji glare at Hinata and mouth 'why?' Naruto grinned. His decision was made.

"After all, I do need a place to stay tonight." 

Hinata smiled as Neji swore quietly.

"Damn it all."

* * *

Whoo! Chapter 2 is complete. Expect the next chapter to be up...eventually.

Anyways, I know the characters were a bit OOC, but I can't stand to see Hinata to be shy to the point of fainting or Naruto too annoying or Neji too cold (I think he's an angry, bitter, attractive guy).

Anyways I hope whoever is reading enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think.

Oh, and all flames will be used to boil water for my daily cup of tea.

Later! -skips off-


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